Flavorful with many of the elements I look for in a spiced winter warmer, not as clean on the palate as anticipated. I guess the Irish Red Ale character is there but the spice and syrup take it far away from the style. (515 characters)

If someone told me this was a pumpkin ale I would have believed them. Aroma of yams with caramelized brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste is malt forward with intense brown sugar roasted squash and a sweet cinnamon finish. I hope Prism can produce more brews as good as this one. (282 characters)

From notes (2010 Capone's Black Friday event). I was quite impressed with this beer from newcomers Prism Beer Company, and it convinced me to go fill my growler with the stuff sooner than later. They really nailed an interesting, sessionable winter seasonal on the first try.

T: This is where the beer really stands out. The spices are the first thing that hits you, but what I really find the headline to be is that this beer has more pure maple flavor than any I've ever had. That includes Immort Ale and several Canadian brews that purport to be heavy on maple ingredients (Equinoxe du Printemps is a good example of a great maple-tinged beer that this surpasses in terms of maple flavor). As a huge fan of maple flavored anything, I was thrilled with this. Totally tasted like November.

M: I jotted down a particular complaint in this department that I feel might be valid - I had sort of a dry feeling in terms of the mouthfeel due to the heavy spice character. Maybe the beer should be filtered better, but I don't know if it'd be worth the detriment to the flavor.

D: More sessionable than a lot of winter seasonals I've had from big, successful, established breweries.

I think that the name of the beer and the accessible style could make this one a big hit if Prism is willing to hang its hat on it and bottle it for six months out of the year. Calling it their "football seasonal" would just be the icing on their moneymaking cake. That this one was able to stand out against a stacked field of offerings at the Capone's Black Friday event is a testament to how good it already is - a bit of fine tuning might be needed, but it's already a really great first try. Friends of mine, once we finished drinking and relocated to the Capone's bottle shop, were asking me where they can find Red Zone, or beers like Red Zone, on the shelf. There is definitely a marketplace for this beer and I wish Prism well with it. (2,154 characters)

A: Poured a reddish brown color, clear with a towering light tan head that persists for a few minutes. Lacing looks good on the glass.S: Smell of prunes, dark cherries, birch, ginger, and faint maple. Earthy hops are minimal. T: Sweet and tart cherries, prunes, brown bread, light maple, light ginger, and spice. Finish is on the sweet side. M: medium body with tiny, bubbly carbonation and little to no alcohol warmth. O: This beer has some interesting flavors and a uniqueness that makes it worth the try. It has a sweet and tart balance going on and the finish is not overwhelmingly sweet. (596 characters)